December 2015 AKCPA Newsletter
AKCPA members at AICPA Fall Meeting of Council in Maui.
President's Message
DECEMBER 2015
This December is an exciting time to be a member of the Alaska Society of CPAs. A lot of big changes are coming up for us! The AKCPA will be relocating to 2600 Cordova Street, Suite 211. New regulations will be effective, which should bring Alaska in-line with most of the other states by eliminating the 500 hour attest requirement for licensure.
https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=99167
Our 2015/2016 Leadership Academy will be starting with a session held in Anchorage. For our student members this month means finals and the Winter break between semesters, for some it will mean graduation and entry into the workforce. I want to briefly touch on each of these items.
I have to extend the AKCPA’s sincere appreciation to our real estate agent Elisha Martin from Coldwell Banker Commercial Alaska, as well as Crista Burson, and the rest of our office move task force. This was not an easy process, the move should help provide a stronger sense of financial security for the society by reducing our monthly expenses.
The regulation change is the culmination of significant time and effort put in by many AKCPA members. These are people who care deeply about their profession, and want to help our state keep up with the rest of the country. Changes don’t just happen by themselves, and the time put in by many high-level, highly capable CPAs was fantastic.
I spoke about the Leadership Academy at the annual meeting, and am very proud of our first class. I really look forward to seeing what this next group will achieve. These are the people who will be leading our profession, running our state society, and making a decisions that impact the future. For those nominated to the Leadership Academy by their employer there is an opportunity to go above and beyond, and realize potential.
My sincere hope is every student member who graduates will join the AKCPA as an associate member, and eventually become a full member when they become licensed. I remember being a college student, things are often very busy. If you can find the time to get involved in any of our functions while you are still a student you will start off your career with the added benefit of gaining some inside knowledge about the profession that you cannot get anywhere else. Our committees, and events provide great opportunities for personal growth, networking, and learning.
In addition to serving as president of the AKCPA, I also am a member of the AICPA’s governing council. Through the council meetings, I have had the opportunity to meet leaders from other states. I have discussed our initiatives involving newer members and students. The feeling from many other states is that new graduates are not becoming state society members; that state society involvement on campuses is going down, and that professors are not placing value on being a CPA. I feel like the state of Alaska is going in the opposite direction, things are getting better, and we are building a strong future for accounting majors, and new CPAs in our state.
Every one of you reading this who has encouraged a young person to pursue accounting, everyone who has been involved in paving the way for positive changes for our state society and profession, everyone who sees being a CPA as more than just a job; you are making the difference!
Alaska State Board of Public Accountancy Report
I attended the November 12-13 Alaska State Board of Accountancy on behalf of AKCPA, filling in for Amy Cooper, your current liaison. As many of you know, you can now renew your license(s) online. Online renewals will close at midnight on December 31st. Renewals received after this deadline must be mailed to Cori Hondolero. There is really no provision for late renewal. Your license will lapse if not renewed by this deadline so make sure you don’t miss this deadline.
Here’s the link for renewal:
https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/professionallicense/renewselect.aspx
Other Renewal Tips:
- If renewing an individual license, put “CPAI” before your license number.
- Must enter your total CPE hours for the renewal period (new this year).
- Any 4 hour Ethics class will work.
- Any “yes” answers mean you must mail in your renewal along with supporting documentation.
- All associated partners, shareholders, members, and/or owners of a firm must renew their individual licenses before the firm can renew.
- Peer Review information and any other supporting documents can be emailed to Cori Hondolero.
It is expected that most of the new Regulations proposed in April will be effective December 25th. This project was split into two Regulation projects due to some of the date references. However, the Regulations dealing with non-disciplinary issues, such as the removal of the 500 audit hour requirement, removal of “Alaska-Specific” Ethics, and CPE timing adjustment, have been signed. If you have CPA candidates who want to apply under the new Regulations, please wait to send those applications in after this date so they can be evaluated under the new regulations. However, the Board has indicated that the removal of the Alaska Specific Ethics can apply immediately for renewals. New applications should be available sometime during the week of December 28th.
You can review the original Proposed Regulations here:
https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=99167
The Board reviewed the AICPA’s current briefs on CPAs and marijuana businesses. At this time, the Alaska Board is not commenting on this topic as it seems premature in light that the State is still working on the marijuana rules and regulations.
The State has a new investigator, Greg Francois, for the CPA licenses. He has a great background in law enforcement and is working to learn about our profession. The previous long time investigator, Alvin Kennedy, is Mr. Francois’s supervisor and will providing training on the CPA statutes and regulations.
Congratulations to new CPAs and CPA firms who were approved by the Board and licensed/permitted in November.
New CPAs:
Nguyen Ngo
Kelly Priestly
Yulia Ellsworth
Justin Grace
Su Yun
Saaya Imai
Rebecca Rindal
John William Stinde
Charlene Malapit
Kevin McNamara
Samantha Bolanos
HuiJiao Yao
Dinara Magadeeva
Jonathan McLeish
Sergey Martemyanov
Xiaobo Yu
New In State Firms:
Porter & Allison, Inc.
Teuscher Ruf & Walpole, LLC
New Out of State Firms:
King, Shores & Preston CPAs, PLLC
Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain PC
C.S. Tarin, LLC
The AKCPA wishes to thank the State Board of Accountancy members for attending our luncheon on November 12th and providing us with an update.
I would also like to thank Karen Brewer-Tarver, CPA from Juneau and Wayne Don from Eagle River for their service on the State Board since March 2012. Karen recently served as President and was instrumental in coordinating the extensive regulation project. Our public member, Wayne, was an active member of our military during his terms and helped push through the last round of disciplinary actions. They served us with diligence, respect, and concern for our profession while protecting the public. Please thank them the next time you see them.
If you would like to apply for a Board appointment, the link is below. The AKCPA will be happy to provide a letter of support for any of our members who pursue appointment. Please contact Crista Burson for more information. To apply for consideration of State Board of Accountancy appointment:
http://gov.alaska.gov/Walker/services/boards-commissions/apply-info.html
The next board meeting is February 11-12, 2016 in Anchorage.
Rebecca Martin
Alaska Practicioner Liaison Meeting
Alaska Practitioner Liaison Meeting
NextGen AKCPA Newsletter First Edition
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State of Alaska Announces Electronic Filing Requirements
Alaska Electronic Filing Notice
2015-2016 Leadership Academy
The first session of the 2015-2016 AKCPA Leadership Academy took place on Friday, December 10th with seven up and coming CPA participants from Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. Amy Cooper, Kelly Ward and Thomas Huling served as facilitators. The full day included a guest panel of seasoned CPAs: John Rodgers, Josh McIntyre, Rita DeLaTorre and Rebecca Martin.
Seasoned CPA Panelists: John Rodgers, Josh McIntyre, Rita DeLaTorre & Rebecca Martin
Back Row, Left to Right: Thomas Huling, Sam Thompson, Kelly Ward, Nico Herbert, Adam Sycks & Rhonda Bohart. Front Row, Left to Right: Rachel Hanks, Margarita Pelkhe, Audrey Lance & Amy Cooper.
